Retirees Mark a Milestone
(This article appeared in the July/August 2012 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)
Judy Beard, Director Retirees Department
The APWU Retirees Department is 20 years old this year! The APWU now has 62 retiree chapters and over 37,000 members working in their communities to support important legislation; educating seniors on issues that will help them have a better quality of life, and contributing approximately $200,000 to COPA, the APWU’s Committee on Political Action.
The Retirees Department also provides information to current APWU members on the retirement process and how to manage their Thrift Savings Plan, and assists family members in contacting the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as the need arises.
Digital Memory Book
The National Postal Museum will launch a new “digital memory book” — an online history — called “People and the Post” in the near future. The museum is collecting stories about postal people and events from current and former employees of the Postal Service. The museum has invited APWU members and retirees to share their stories through the written word or by video or audio.
It’s a great project to showcase the depth and breadth of the history of the postal system, as well as the people who provided this vital service to the American public.
To submit a story, visit the museum’s memory book Web site, www.memorybook.si.edu.
A representative of the National Postal Museum has been invited to visit the Retirees Department booth at the APWU’s 21st Biennial National Convention in August to collect more stories from members and retirees.
What Do Retiree Members Want?
In the next series of articles, we will be asking retirees what they want and allowing them to speak out on issues. Below are the first few entries:
“I want to stop post office closures, and for the post office to keep its current service standards. I participate in rallies sponsored by APWU and have contacted my congressional representatives to ask for their support on APWU’s legislative priorities. I also want retiree benefits to increase. We didn’t cause this country’s deficit, and should not have to pay for it.”
– Katie Sanders, Richmond Retiree Chapter
“We want to elect congressional representatives and a president of the United States who support senior issues. Seniors are concerned about Social Security, Medicare, Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs), health insurance, and we want to make sure these programs are available for future generations of retirees as well. We want to make sure our family members can get union jobs that pay living wages. We know we can achieve these things by voting for the right people on Nov. 6.”
– Doug Holbrook, Fredericksburg/Battlefield Area Local Retiree and Former National Officer
“We want respect and support. The retirees represent the founding members of this great union. They were the officers and members of five separate postal unions, the United Federation of Postal Clerks, the National Postal Union, the National Association of Post Office and General Service Maintenance Employees, and the National Association of Special Delivery Messengers, which merged into one union on July 1, 1971, creating the largest postal union in the world, the American Postal Workers Union. We gave up titled positions to become one union and we continued to fight for the rights of workers and to increase benefits. We are the same as the rest of America’s workforce — part of the 99% who want our fair share in income and benefits in order to live.”
– Mario Miceli, President, Florida State Retiree Chapter